I did the math so you don’t have to! It’ll take you 2 hours and 18 minutes to drive from Birmingham to London. But as a trip advisor member… i’ll give you a tip for FREE. Get a lift from Tom Hardy!! 85 mins tops!!We've all been on a road trip or travelled intercity for something or rather. It's long, it's tedious and perhaps if your not driving you may even get a little nap in. If you're Tom hardy you have to concentrate on the road, still be at work and have to juggle the mother of all personal blunders.... its busy on the road and it's totally absorbing.

Locke tells the tale of a construction Forman on the eve of the biggest concrete pour in Europe. It's a historic moment and one that if not carefully overseen could be a disaster. One problem, Ivan Locke (Hardey) isn't there. While he should be checking road closures and hose fittings he is driving down the dreary M40 motorway from Birmingham en route to London. And while he could be sitting down to enjoy the football final with his 2 sons and wife after work the sky darkens and the headlights pass him by. His purpose for leaving is justifiable, at lest to him.Think i’m being vague here? Yeah i am, but for good reason. The Macguffin here is important and if i gave it away then the impact and urgency of the story would be halved. So i won’t give too much away at all. Things have not gone to plan and it gets messier and more difficult as the kilometres tick by. Fielding constant phone calls from multiple callers adds to the pressure both Locke and the audience share. But there is no stopping, no half cooked steak and cheese pie from the road side station and certainly no going back.

This is not Vanishing point or Bullitt. And that’s fine!This is a character driven (Hee Hee) film and the character is all you’ll get. It’s Tom Hardy, his car and the voices he hears from his phone. Had Tom Hardy not been cast they would have had their work cut out for them to find a convincing and totally enthralling actor to use the script and strap the audience to the passenger seat. While his south african accent is slightly jarring and takes some time to get used to, Hardy as usual uses it to his advantage.

Steven Knight, academy award writer of Easter Promises and the recent hit Peaky Blinders shoots every inch of Lockes BMW. EVERY INCH!! Lights, reflections and the ever pressing and connecting concrete beneath the wheels. Concrete is everywhere. Literally and figuratively. This is a man with his feet IN IT!!

What is really stunning about this film is the way it was produced. Filmed in only 8 days with Hardy recorded twice each night in almost continuous takes with the phone callers actually ringing in to his cell phone. It’s the closest thing to a live filmed movie that i’ve come across in some time. Composer Dickon Hinchliffe provides a wonderful ambient soundtrack score for the film and has some very touching themes. Very contemplative and emotional. Just my kind of score. Drives (oh my god…) the story while not being overbearing.The combination of Knight and Hardy is fantastic and while i may have been mysterious with my review its purely to allow you the viewer to discover the story.Steven Knight is definitely a director to keep and eye on and well… you can’t take your eyes off Hardy.

Audio: A standard 5.1 mix. While there is nothing particularly outstanding about the sound in this film, both music and effects are lovingly mixed and draw you in. GET THE SOUNDTRACK!!!!!

Video:A great mix of vivid colours and washed out neon make the film a treat to watch in HD. Because we are locked (yeah i said it..) into the car it's diversity is limited, but that the nature of the game baby!!!